We turn our attentions to the Sky Sports player list for the final time. Having analysed the Goalkeepers, Defenders, Midfielders we now shift to the business end of our line-ups, to the forward lines – an area boosted by Sky Sports’ move to the newly available 3-4-3 formation.
The Budget Bracket
We start at Crystal Palace and while Tony Pulis’ side are normally associated with rock solid, resolute defenders, it has to be said that striker Glenn Murray has been in sparkling form over the summer. Available for just 6.2, he’s scored five times over the close-season and seems to have finally recovered from the knee injury that limited him to just three starts last term. When on the pitch, Murray is also believed to be his side’s nominated spot-kick taker. With Frazier Campbell at 7.0 and midfielders Yannick Bolasie and Jason Puncheon at 6.5 and 6.9 respectively, Murray has some merits for those looking to cover the Palace attack early on but for me, Pulis’s side still lack the scoring power.
Sunderland’s forgotten man Steven Fletcher (7.0) looks more of a prospect. Up until the injury-ravaged 2013/14 campaign, Fletcher had scored 10+ goals in his previous three seasons in the top-flight, with a record just better than one strike every three Premier League appearances – if he can keep himself fit and assume penalty duties, the Scot could end up besting that average. Team-mate Connor Wickham comes in at the same price but has been fielded on the left flank in the Black Cats’ recent friendlies so there is real uncertainty on Poyet’s choice of central striker in his preferred 4-1-4-1 set-up. Both Fletcher and Wickham notched in Thursday’s 2-0 win over Real Betis.
Leicester’s David Nugent also sets you back just 7.0. The Foxes forward served up 20 goals and 12 assists in the Championship last season and will assume penalty duties – it’s been a good summer so far for Nugent, who has netted four times for Nigel Pearson’s side. The issue here is that Leicester opening fixtures are nothing short of evil, potentially handing them a troubled start to life back in the top flight.
Elsewhere amongst the promoted sides, Burnley’s Danny Ings is the second most popular budget option. Owned by just under 4% of Sky Sports managers, the 7.0 candidate produced 21 goals and seven assists for The Clarets last season and with sidekick Sam Vokes still sidelined with knee ligament damage, Ings will be on penalty duties for Sean Dyche’s side.
If you’re playing the fixtures at the start of the season, Stoke offer us a pair of kindly priced new arrivals in the budget bracket. Bojan Krkic and Mame Biram Diouf come in at 7.0 apiece ahead of a kind run of encounters which pits the Potters against just three of last season’s top eight in the first 12 Gameweeks. While Diouf is expected to get the nod ahead of Peter Crouch as the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1, it’s Bojan who has made his mark so far – having netted in three consecutive pre-season matches, he’s the most popular cut-price option around and currently sits in nearly 6% of Sky teams. It’s fair to say that Bojan, once billed as a potential successor to Lionel Messi at Barcelona, will likely draw the eye more often and collect Man-of-the-Match (MoTM) awards as a result.
Newcastle’s Emmanuel Riviere, at 7.1, is another new arrival that offers an option for those willing to roll the dice. The former Monaco man has found his form immediately and scored three times over the summer, though with Siem de Jong available for less in Alan Pardew’s midfield, Riviere looks a less appealing option.
Although unproven in the top-flight, Charlie Austin (7.1) looks enticing. The QPR forward’s record in the lower leagues somewhat mirrors that of Rickie Lambert’ and, if Harry Redknapp’s side are to make an impact this season, they will need Austin to replicate the displays of Southampton’s former striker. If Austin – who also had spot-kick duties for the R’s – can get 10-15 goals then he represents fantastic value and could appeal as a possible third forward option in the 3-4-3. So far, he’s netted four times in pre-season friendlies.
Enner Valencia. Nicknamed “Superman” due to his aerial abilities, looks undervalued at 7.3. The Ecuadorian netted 18 times in 23 appearances for Mexican side Pachuca last season and affords the Hammers much-needed pace up top as Big Sam looks to cope without the injured Andy Carroll for four months. Similarly, West Brom’s Brown Ideye (7.3) arrives with an impressive scoring record and could finally afford the Baggies a regular scorer this season, after they toiled in the final third last time around. Both look to be struggling to make the opening Gameweeks, though; Valencia has only returned to training after an extended summer break due to World Cup duties, while Ideye has only just received his work visa this week and is also playing catch up with his match fitness.
Southampton’s Graziano Pelle is our final budget option at 7.4. As mentioned in our recentscout report, the big Italian delivered 55 goals and 15 assists in 66 appearances over the last two seasons under Ronald Koeman – the pair now re-unite at St Mary’s and, with an excellent schedule all the way up to Gameweek 12, Pelle, with a 1% ownership, could be a deadly differential. Pelle’s scoring record looks unrivalled in this price bracket but our faith in Koeman’s signing will be based on just how he adjusts to life in the Premier League and if Southampton can exploit their early fixtures following the summer exodus. Along with Bojan at Stoke, Pelle looks the pick for those willing to gamble on a cheap third striker in the 4-3-3.
The Mid-Price Options
Hull’s Nikica Jelavic comes in at 7.6 – just slightly dearer than 7.5-priced team-mate Shane Long (7.5). The Croatian could claim penalty duties for the Tiger after Tom Huddlestone’s recent European miss and is owned by just 1% of Sky managers compared to Long’s 4.7%. A decent opening five fixtures (qpr, STO, avl, WHM, new) suggests that Steve Bruce’s side are certainly worthy of consideration from back to front. It’s worth noting that Jelavic wasn’t even amongst the subs for Thursday’s Europa League win over AS Trencin, with Steve Bruce clearly keen to ease him back to action after he featured in this summer’s World Cup.
In addition to the above-mentioned Valencia, West Ham new boy Mauro Zarate (7.7) also scored 18 goals last season and his creativity, allied with a likely share of dead-ball situations, could see him emerge as a strong option for the Hammers if Sam Allardyce’s new attack-minded approach comes to fruition.
Man City’s Stevan Jovetic (7.9) is also firmly on the radar after scoring back-to-back braces in recent friendlies. The former Fiorentina striker is expected to start the season in tandem with Edin Dzeko and with five goals over the summer, he takes strong form and confidence into his second top flight campaign. With Alvaro Negredo injured and Sergio Aguero building his fitness following his World Cup exploits, Jovetic should get you a few early starts but will then face a major threat of rotation. At 7.9, however, he has to be in the frame for early selection in our squads with an exit route planned once Aguero is back in the frame for 90 minutes.
Edin Dzeko (8.6) is, himself, another enticing mid-price option. The Bosnian can’t quite offer assured security of starts over the season but his goal record when given opportunities suggests that Manuel Pellegrini can ill-afford to overlook his talents: Dzeko found the net 16 times from only 23 starts last season. He looks the likeliest to partner Jovetic in Pellegrini’s 4-2-2-2 initially and should retain starts alongside Aguero following that. However, I always feel that the best tactic with Dzeko is to transfer him in as your skipper for cameo roles in specific games, rather than stick by him for long periods due to his inconsistency of starts.
Emmanuel Adebayor and Christian Benteke both set you back 8.1 apiece. The Villa man is, of course, still recovering from injury and is still some way off being back in contention, whilst Adebayor’s prospects are still dubious under new Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino. It remains to be seen whether the Togo international can retain a starting berth under the Argentine – Pochettino’s high pressing game is somewhat at odds with Adebayor’s more laid-back approach and with Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela cheaper in midfield, there are obvious attacking alternatives at the Lane.
Wilfried Bony is the most popular mid-price option by some distance. The Swansea forward currently sits in over 10% of Sky Sports sides after racking up the goals in the latter part of his debut campaign. He’s set to remain on spot-kicks and could be a steal if Garry Monk can persuade the Ivorian to stay at The Liberty for another campaign, or if even if he can manufacture a move to a bigger club that can offer secure starts. Bony scored only 40 points less than Daniel Sturridge last term yet is available for just 8.2 – 1.6 cheaper than the Liverpool frontman. In this case, the wisdom of the crowd may be difficult to question.
The Premium Prospects
A permanent move to Goodison brings Romelu Lukaku (8.8) immediately back into contention as a Fantasy prospect for the season ahead. Currently sitting in 14% of Sky Sports sides, the big Belgian has rapidly increased in ownership since parting company with Chelsea and is now the fifth most popular frontman in the Sky Sports game. Still just 21 years of age, whilst many feel his inexperienced leads to inconsistency, 17 and 15 goals over the last two campaigns suggests we can bank on the Belgian to deliver the goods.
If Olivier Giroud retains his place at the pinnacle of Arsenal’s attack, then a price of 8.9 could yet prove a bargain. The Frenchman was the fourth highest scoring forward last season with 195 points from 36 starts, though there’s no doubt the arrival of Alexis Sanchez (9.5) places question marks over Arsene Wenger’s intentions for the upcoming campaign. There’s a chance we may not discover Arsenal’s first choice XI until Theo Walcott is fit and available and it may well be that the Chilean is fielded on the flank in the meantime, to be handed a central role on Walcott’s return. With 19 goals and 10 assists for Barcelona last season, Sanchez has persuaded almost 22% of Fantasy managers to take the punt, whereas just 5% have shown faith in the much-maligned Giroud.
Is Diego Costa (9.5) the final piece of the Chelsea puzzle? The Spain international has wasted no time in settling at the Bridge – a goal and three assists in his first two pre-season appearances underlined just why Jose Mourinho was prepared to splash the cash over the summer. He may be costlier than team-mate Eden Hazard (8.9) in midfield but with 27 goals and five assists in last season’s La Liga, the former Atletico Madrid man arrives in prolific form.
Wayne Rooney (9.4) started only 27 games last season but with 17 goals and 10 assists to his name, still ended up the second highest scoring forward on 218 points behind Luis Suarez. It’s fair to say he’s been undervalued by Sky Sports here, then, and early indications under Louis van Gaal are very promising, with Rooney netting four times over the summer friendlies. He also ended term with an incredible nine MoTM awards and is highly favoured by the Sky Sports reporters – an excellent first eight fixtures could see him run riot and will see many hand Rooney the armband.
The priciest option in the Sky Sports game, Robin Van Persie (9.9) was pretty much a Fantasy failure last season, returning only 111 points – nine less than Stoke’s Peter Crouch. We all know the drill here – the Dutchman has, in seasons past, provided us with a near perfect captain choice week in, week out and with Louis van Gaal at the helm, it’s difficult to see him failing to get the best from his compatriot. Injuries and ageing limbs may become a factor as the season hots up but, with no European distractions, Van Persie should have a clear run at the Golden Boot. Van Gaal has stated that Van Persie won’t be considered for the opener against Swansea, leaving the path clear for Rooney to cement a place in our line-ups, but, following that, the Van Persie conundrum will return and the output comparisons with Rooney will begin in earnest.
It’s a similar story on the other side of Manchester. Sergio Aguero is a goalscorer supreme but one often troubled by injury and is seemingly out of the picture for the opening Gameweek. The 9.8-priced Argentine delivered 17 goals and six assists in just 20 starts last season but the issue, as always, is his propensity for picking up knocks. If he can steer clear of the treatment table, Aguero is capable of outscoring any Fantasy asset this season but with Pellegrini already uncertain over the fitness levels of some World Cup players, early investment is best avoided with Dzeko providing the optimum cover of City’s attack, at least initially.
With Luis Suarez legging it to Barcelona, Daniel Sturridge (9.8) has big boots to fill this season. To be fair, he did a pretty good job in his own footwear last time out – 22 strikes and seven assists earning third place in the forward player rankings on 209 points. With added onus to produce the goals and the test of European football to come, the only real question here is if Sturridge is robust enough to last the campaign. Sturridge, like Aguero, needs to stay fit – he managed just 26 starts last term and Liverpool’s crowded schedule will test his resilience while Brendan Rodgers continues to search for more options up top. Having flown home from the club’s US tour with a hamstring problem, though, it seems that his pitch time is already under threat.
SELECTION TACTICS
My initial tip is to budget for the two most expensive forwards (Robin Van Persie and Daniel Sturridge) in your team from the off and work the rest of your funds around them.
I’m not suggesting you select these two from Gameweek one but, if you build your team to allow yourself the option of bring them in over the campaign, you will give yourself the flexibility to react to their form. Freeing the funds will require you to plunder the lower end markets elsewhere but, if you plan this effectively, it will only ever take you one transfer to bring in an expensive option in attack in any given Gameweek.
This is where you really make up the points in the Sky Sports game – by using the majority of your transfers to manipulate your captains and bring in big hitting forwards for targeted fixtures. Maximise your Gameweek points but minimise the transfers you need to acquire the key Gameweek targets.
Also, with the new 3-4-3 formation on offer this season, it’s worth noting that you can now transfer out a big-hitting midfielder for a mid-price or budget forward when required. This offers us further flexibility with transfers and captaincies, making it even of a priority that we combine cheap and premium options to exploit the new freedom.
Sky Sports Fantasy Football Scout League
We’ve already set up the official Scout League with a top prize of £1000 to the winner. If you’ve tinkered with your Sky team and are looking to get involved, our league name is FFScout and the code is 8009000.
